Breaking Down the Class 3A State Cross Country Meet
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
For the second consecutive year the state cross country meet will be a two-day affair beginning with the Class 4A and 3A races on Friday at Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge.
Class 4A will compete on Friday morning with the Class 3A races set for Friday afternoon.
The 2021 state meet will conclude on Saturday with the Class 2A races in the morning and the Class 1A races in the afternoon.
Before the excitement of race day arrives on Friday we take a closer look at the state meet fields and the Your Prep Sports area teams and individuals that will be competing in Fort Dodge.
Class 3A
Girls Race
Where: Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge
When: Friday, 2:30 p.m.
Qualifying teams: *Western Dubuque; Dubuque Wahlert; Center Point-Urbana; *Glenwood; Spencer; MOC-Floyd Valley; *Ballard; Gilbert; Carlisle; *Solon; Mount Vernon/Lisbon; Marion; *Dallas Center-Grimes; North Polk; Harlan
*-District champion
Individual district champions: Alyssa Klein, Soph., Western Dubuque; Emily Haverdink, Sr., MOC-Floyd Valley; Paityn Noe, Jr., Ballard; Kayla Young, Jr., Solon; Geneva Timmerman, Jr., ADM
2020 team top five: 1. Ballard 66; 2. Dallas Center-Grimes 88; 3. Dubuque Wahlert 89; 4. Sioux City Heelan 151; 5. Solon 187
Last five team champions: 2020 – Ballard; 2019 – Ballard; 2018 – Dubuque Wahlert; 2017 – Dubuque Wahlert; 2016 – Decorah
Returning state placewinners: 2. Paityn Noe, Jr., Ballard; 3. Ainsley Erzen, Sr., Carlisle; 6. Rebecca Anderson, Jr., Decorah; 7. Geneva Timmerman, Jr., ADM; 8. Lydia Maas, Soph., Hampton-Dumont-Cal; 15. Brooklyn Stanley, Soph., Sioux City Heelan
Top ranked teams: 1. Solon; 2. Dallas Center-Grimes; 3. Western Dubuque; 4. Ballard; 5. North Polk
Ranked area teams: No. 1 Solon
Top ranked individuals: No. 1 Paityn Noe, Jr. Ballard; 2. Geneva Timmerman, Jr., ADM; 3. Lindsey Sonderman, Fr., Harlan; 4. Ainsley Erzen, Sr., Carlisle; 5. Kayla Young, Jr., Solon
Ranked area individuals: 5. Kayla Young, Jr., Solon; 10. Haidyn Barker, Jr., Clear Creek Amana; 13. Emma Bock, Sr., Solon
Team championship chase: Solon has steadily risen up the state meet standings over the past three seasons going from 11th in 2018 to seventh in 2019 before a fifth-place finish a year ago.
This year Solon looks to make its biggest jump yet as the Spartans seek the first title in program history.
Solon enters ranked number one and has been impressive all season rattling off wins at the WAMAC Conference and state qualifying meets.
To claim its first title Solon will need to outduel a couple of perennial powers in Dallas Center-Grimes and two-time defending champion Ballard.
The Bombers enter ranked fourth and have the individual favorite in defending 3A runner-up Paityn Noe.
Second-ranked Dallas Center-Grimes is seeking its first title after top-four finishes the last three season highlighted by consecutive runner-up efforts.
Watch out for Western Dubuque who has both the top end talent in Alyssa Klein and Lily Boge and depth to make a title run.
Individual title tracker: Ballard junior Paityn Noe is seeking her first state title after posting top three-finishes each of the past two seasons.
Noe was third as a freshman in 2019 and runner-up to teammate Shewaye Johnson last season and enters top-ranked and the clear-cut favorite.
There is no shortage of runners looking to keep pace with Noe.
Two-time top-four finishes Ainsley Erzen, a senior at Carlisle is among those.
Erzen was fourth as a freshman in 2018 and third last season but finished more than a minute behind Noe in a runner-up finish at the state qualifier last week.
Put ADM junior Geneva Timmerman who was seventh in 3A last season and talented Harlan freshman Lindsey Sonderman in that mix as well.
Area breakdown: Solon enters top-ranked and fully capable of securing the first cross country title in program history.
The Spartans have several runners pushing for individual medals led by fifth-ranked junior Kayla Young and four-time state qualifier Emma Bock who enters ranked 13th.
It is depth that has been the trademark for the Spartans this season during their rise to the number one ranking and it is conceivable the Spartans win the title without a runner finishing in the top 15.
With sophomores Gracie Federspiel and Anna Quillin, junior Mara Duster and seniors Meghan O’Neill and Kaia Holtkamp the Spartans have state meet experience and depth few teams can counter.
Clear Creek Amana narrowly missed qualifying as a team but will send three individual qualifiers to Fort Dodge led by junior Haidyn Barker.
Already a three-time state qualifier Barker jumped from 63rd as a freshman to 33rd last season and will push for an individual medal on Friday.
Barker enters ranked 10th and coming off a fourth-place finish at the state qualifier.
Freshman Kira Barker and senior Kalin Rotzoll join Haidyn Barker as Clipper qualifiers.
Boys Race
Where: Lakeside Golf Course in Fort Dodge
When: Friday, 3:15 p.m.
Qualifying teams: *Western Dubuque; Decorah; Charles City; *Glenwood: MOC-Floyd Valley; Sioux Center; *Pella; Carlisle; Newton; *Marion; Solon; Mount Vernon/Lisbon; *Dallas Center-Grimes; North Polk; ADM
*-District champion
Individual district champions: Eli Naumann, Sr., Western Dubuque; Sam May, Sr., MOC-Floyd Valley; Jackson Mace-Maynard, Sr., Newton; Shane Erb, Sr., Marion; Aidan Ramsey, Sr., Dallas Center-Grimes
2020 team top five: 1. Dallas Center-Grimes 87; 2. Solon 135; 3. Carlisle 149; 4. Pella 157; 5. North Polk 161
Last five team champions: 2020 – Dallas Center-Grimes; 2019 – Dallas Center-Grimes; 2018 – Gilbert; 2017 – Gilbert; 2016 – Mount Vernon/Lisbon
Returning state placewinners: 3. Aidan Ramsey, Sr., Dallas Center-Grimes; 4. Eli Larson, Sr., Center Point-Urbana; 8. Zach Sporaa, Jr., North Polk; 10. Max Sporaa, Jr., North Polk; 13. Shane Erb, Sr., Marion; 15. Jacob Ewers, Sr., Dallas Center-Grimes
Top ranked teams: 1. Dallas Center-Grimes; 2. Marion; 3. North Polk; 4. Pella; 5. Glenwood
Ranked area teams: No. 6 Solon
Top ranked individuals: No. 1 Aidan Ramsey, Sr., Dallas Center-Grimes; 2. Eli Naumann, Sr., Western Dubuque; 3. Eli Larson, Sr., Center Point-Urbana; 4. Sam May, Sr., MOC-Floyd Valley; 5. Zach Sporaa, Jr., North Polk
Ranked area individuals: No. 13 Brick Kabela, Soph., Solon; No. 28 Gabe Hinman, Sr., Solon;
Team championship chase: Dallas Center-Grimes is seeking to become the first team to win three consecutive Class 3A titles since the state went to the four-class format in 2003 and enters as a heavy favorite to pull on the feat.
The Mustangs finished 48 points clear of runner-up Solon last season and return their lineup virtually intact.
Dallas Center-Grimes has three ranked runners led by top-ranked senior Aidan Ramsey who finished third a year ago.
There is a trio of teams that will look to challenge the Mustangs led by second-ranked Marion and 2020 top-five finishers Pella and North Polk.
The WAMAC conference and state qualifying champion Marion has the firepower up front with senior Shane Erb and junior Jedidiah Osgood and the depth with four ranked runners to make a serious push.
Last year’s runner-up Solon will make a push for a return to the balcony and a second consecutive top-three finish.
Individual title tracker: The 3A race shapes up to be one of the better individual races of the day.
Ramsey is the top returning finisher after placing third a year ago less than half a second in front of third-ranked Eli Larson of Center Point-Urbana who will once again be in the title mix.
Western Dubuque Senior Eli Naumann has had an excellent season and enters the mix after competing in 4A last season while North Polk junior Zach Sporra returns after an eighth-place finish last season.
The Marion duo could make its way into a lead pack that figures to be tight throughout.
Area breakdown: Last season Solon was one of the most improved teams in the state and punctuated an impressive season with a runner-up finish.
The Spartans have proved they are no one-year wonders with a return to state and are capable of posting another top-five finish.
Solon has a pair of runners that can push for individual medals.
Sophomore Brick Kabela was 26th in his state meet debut a year ago and enters ranked 13th after a stellar regular season.
Senior Gabe Hinman is a four-time state qualifier coming off his best performance ever at the state meet a year ago when he finished 24th.
Hinman and Kabela should both be in the mix to bring home hardware with top-15 individual finishes.
Clear Creek Amana senior Gavin Zillyette secured his fourth trip to the state meet as an individual qualifier with a 10th place finish at the state qualifier last week.
Zillyette could also be in medal contention after finishing 22nd at the state meet last season.
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